


Hey soulmate, it's me, your soulmate.

by malignance



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, really really mild swearing lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 10:37:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5704534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malignance/pseuds/malignance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>soulmate au where whatever appears on your skin, appears on your soulmates' too. </p><p>(or, Jihoon is drunk and uses his skin as a piece of paper to talk to his soulmate.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hey soulmate, it's me, your soulmate.

Jihoon didn't like sharing things. Not when Soonyoung begged for a bite of sandwich with puppy dog eyes and a pout, not when Minghao asked for a sip of his drink with a (rather pathetic, in Jihoon's opinion) display of aegyo and certainly not when Seungkwan half sang half demanded Jihoon let him under his coat for some warmth. Jihoon had never liked sharing things, so it's only natural that he didn't like the idea of having to share his skin. 

"Come on, Jihoon, you're sharing it with your _soulmate_ , that's pretty amazing. You can be a little less bitter about it." Seokmin had said, all wide eyed and completely infatuated with the idea that yes, soulmates existed and yes, every mark, wound and scar that appeared on your soulmate's skin, appeared on yours too.

He might've been more entertained by the idea of it if his soulmate didn't happen to get new scratches and cuts every other day. Jihoon was considering maybe giving himself a bruise so his soulmate would know what it felt like to have to wake up with marks on your skin that you didn't have when you went to sleep. Jihoon was glad his soulmate didn't have any tattoos, he was grateful actually. Mingyu however, was not as lucky. Apparently his soulmate was some sort of punk, what with the array of song lyrics and obscene drawings of things neither Jihoon or Mingyu understood that littered his arms and legs. It scared away anyone who came in close contact with Mingyu, when in reality Mingyu was probably the most harmless person Jihoon knew.

 _ **(** ~_   ** _)_**

 

"Hyung, you busy?"

Jihoon had been holed up in his studio again, his music being the only comfort he could escape to when classes and homework got a little too suffocating. Seungkwan interrupts without hesitation of course, Jihoon had threatened him countless times, once even with his guitar, but the younger had still continued to come in and out of his studio as if it was no big deal. He didn't know if Seungkwan was brave or just stupid.

"Very. Go away, Seungkwan." Jihoon grumbles, clicking away with his mouse because he really didn't have time to deal with Seungkwan. Dealing with Seungkwan always meant dealing with his friends, and they might've been Jihoon's friends too but that didn't make them any less obnoxiously loud whenever Jihoon wanted silence.

Seungkwan frowns, tugging at Jihoon's sweater sleeve. "Hyung, you haven't eaten anything since yesterday, c'mon, just come to lunch with me and the boys. I promise I'll try to keep them quiet."

Jihoon wants to say no, he really does, but his phone is already blowing up with the "Come out and play, hyung!" texts that the boys keep sending him, so he gives in. He figures, if he goes now that means he'll be bothered less later on. 

He doesn't expect any different, but Seungkwan doesn't stick to his promise, and the boys are as rowdy as ever, laughing and screaming and making the most noise humanly possible between six boys, and that was _a lot_ of noise. Jihoon sinks further into the soft chair of the cafe they were at and rubs at his temples, he definitely didn't have the time for this. 

"Jihoon," Soonyoung whines, "what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Weren't you listening? About talking to your soulmate, you know, by writing stuff on your arm or something." Soonyoung is beaming now, and Jihoon doesn't have the energy to tell him that it sounded like a dumb idea, but he was too tired to actually recognize good ideas from bad ones anyways, so he just nods.

"Seems alright with me, I mean, if you want to give it a try then knock yourself out."

He tunes out the rest of the conversation after that, looking forward to just going back home and collapsing into his bed and sleep his troubles away. 

The boys don't let him though, instead he's somehow dragged to a bar with the six of them excitedly leading the way and chattering about something Jihoon wasn't interested in, again. Jihoon wasn't sure how he had ended up with friends in the first place if this is all he did with them, pretend they weren't there.

None of them plan for it, but Jihoon ends up impossibly drunk, spewing off things about how he's grateful for having the boys in his life and how he loved the colour chartreuse, leaning too much on Mingyu for support as he couldn't seem to even sit upright. The boys get a good laugh out of it, they take too many photos and videos that Jihoon will come to regret ever seeing the next morning, but soon their conversation steers back to the soulmates and communicating to them through their shared link. Jihoon, frustrated that the attention wasn't on him (none of them would've guessed that he was a clingy drunk) declares that he'd try it himself, so he digs through Seokmin's bag until he finds a pen and writes, rather sloppily, across the back of his hand: _"Hey, soulmate, it's me, your soulmate, why do you end up with so many scratches all the time? It's not a good look for me."_ before promptly passing out afterwards.

 _ **(**_ ~  _ **)**_

Hangovers aren't an uncommon occurrence in Jihoon's life, no, but he forgets sometimes just how much it hurts and how much it stops him from doing normal things like making breakfast without feeling like he was about to die. It doesn't help either, that he wakes up to thousands of unread texts from the boys. Too tired to respond to any of them, he just scrolls through them as he waits for his coffee to brew.

 _ **seventeen**_ _(137 unread messages)_

 ** _kwannie:_** can u believe how drunk jihoon hyung got last night

 _ **gyugyu:** _ oh my god that was the funniest shit

 _ **dk:**_ language, mingyu!!

 _ **gyugyu:**_ shut up donkey kong

 _ **dk:**_ :-(

 _ **hosh:**_  don't make seokmin cry, gyu

 _ **kwannie:**_  i still can't believe he actually wrote "hey soulmate, it's me, your soulmate" on his hand tho 

 _ **gyugyu:** _ LMAO I ALMOST FORGOT 

 _ **kwannie:**_  how do you think he's going to react to this

 _ **hosh:**_ he's probably going to come after us with his guitar for letting him do something so stupid

 _ **gyugyu:**_ wasn't our fault

 _ **dk:**_ i think i like drunk jihoon better, he was so clingy it was adorable :D

 _ **gyugyu:**_ u better get ready for his wrath, u kno u can't just call him cute like that

 _ **dk:** _ shit you're right

 _ **gyugyu:**_ language, seokmin!! 

 _ **hosh:** _ hey where'd minghao go?? he hasn't been responding to my texts in a while what's his deal??

 _ **kwannie:**_ oh didn't you HEAR?? he found his soulmate last night ;-))

 _ **gyugyu:**_ wait what the fuck

 _ **gyugyu:**_ when did this happen

 _ **kwannie:**_ literally right after you guys left and we were walking back to our apartment

 _ **kwannie:**_ he bumped into this guy and you know how minghao bruises easily

 _ **kwannie:**_ so he got a bruise on his elbow and the guy suddenly got the exact same bruise so they were all like ?? oh shit

 _ **kwannie:**_ and then sparks flew or some shit idk they just left me there to walk home alone

 _ **kwannie:**_ his soulmate was hot tho gotta admit

 _ **dk:**_ aw good for him

 _ **gyugyu:**_ well damn 

 _ **gyugyu:**_ i wish i could just bump into my soulmate like that

 _ **hosh:**_ do u really 

 ** _gyugyu:_** why wouldn't i

 _ **hosh:** _ bc judging from th tattoos it seems like the guy could probably beat you into a pulp or smth

 _ **gyugyu:**_ fuck

 _ **gyugyu:**_ you 

 _ **dk:**_ laNGUAGE!! D:

Jihoon sighs, letting his head drop onto the kitchen counter with a loud thud. Of all the stupid things he could've done while he was drunk, it just had to be something to do with his soulmate. Jihoon wasn't even sure if he wanted to find his soulmate, just because his soulmate was the only person he ever shared anything with didn't mean that he was in love with them. What he doesn't even _like_ them? But then as soon as that thought comes he can feel his skin start to tingle and, _oh no_. He bolts upright and stares down at his hand in disbelief, and surely, there was a reply. _"I have a cat, and he's not exactly friendly. Sorry bout the scratches, really, I'll try to keep them to a minimal. I'm Seungcheol by the way :)"_ Jihoon snorts.

The rest of his day goes by uneventful, he ends up writing back to his soulmate a few times in between classes, he learns that Seungcheol had a cat named S.coups (Jihoon had laughed at the name, but Seungcheol had insisted it was original therefore it was good), a best friend named Jeonghan who had luscious locks worthy of a prince (Seungcheol's words, not his), and that they both went to the same college. Jihoon didn't know whether to be glad or not, that his soulmate was so close to him yet so far. He doesn't want to ask what classes he has, whether he stays in the dorms or not, he doesn't want to seem desperate. So he talks about himself, tells him how he produces music on the side when he's not dealing with his loud friends, talks about what he wants to do, personal things Jihoon had a second mind about revealing to his soulmate. 

He doesn't know why, but for the first time in three weeks he goes to cafeteria and actually plans on eating, instead of skipping lunch to work on his music only for Soonyoung to come and shove leftovers in his mouth. "Jihoon hyung!" Seokmin shouts, and even amongst all the heavy chatter around Jihoon still hears him perfectly clear.

"This is new, you're actually coming here voluntarily?" Seungkwan's eyebrows raise so high they almost touch his hairline. Jihoon scowls. 

Soonyoung only laughs, nudging Seungkwan with his elbow, "Oh come on, he's here, lets just enjoy it okay?"

For the next ten minutes they disperse into comfortable conversation, talking about movies that Jihoon didn't have any interest in and shows he hadn't heard of, but Jihoon thinks it's comfortable like this, almost more comforting then being shut away in his studio, that is until Mingyu starts pestering him anyways.

"Hyung, is that what I think it is?" Mingyu asks, grinning, pointing at the writing on Jihoon's hand that he had failed to hide.

_Oh God._

"You've been talking to your soulmate, haven't you?" Seungkwan gushes, holding Jihoon's hand in his to get a better look at what he was writing.

Jihoon grumbles under his breath, but if his cheeks flushing a light pink colour is any indication, then it was definitely a yes.

Seokmin smiles, Seokmin was always smiling. "What's their name?"

"Seungcheol."

The whole table bursts out into rowdy cheers as Jihoon sinks further and further into his seat. He's glad his saviour comes in the form of one Minghao and his soulmate.

"Guys!" Minghao catches their attention, and Jihoon looks up, surprised to find Minghao with his hand in someone else's. "This is my soulmate, Jun."

The table's volume spikes again but at least the attention was off of him, Jihoon thinks. His skin starts to tingle a little then and he smiles, _Seungcheol_. Maybe he did like his soulmate just a little bit.

 _ **(** _ ~ _**)**_

Two weeks, it only takes Jihoon two weeks to realise that he might be a little in love with his soulmate, his soulmate that he hasn't met, but his soulmate that he knows to the extent of being able to list all his family members off the back of his hand. That's how he ends up knocking on Soonyoungs door two hours too late in the night, fidgeting with the end of his sweater sleeves. Jihoon doesn't fidget.

"Jihoon?"

Soonyoung looks as if he was just about drifting off to sleep, Jihoon feels like turning and pretending he had never come, but decides he might as well talk since he came so far. He shoves past Soonyoung and into his apartment, before collapsing on his couch head first. He muffles a groan into Soonyoung's cushion. Soonyoung chuckles slightly under his breath before closing the door and making his way to sit next to Jihoon's sprawled out figure.

"What's wrong?" Soonyoung asks, poking at his side.

Jihoon groans his response and swats Soonyoung's hand away. "I think, I'm a lot in love with Seungcheol or whatever."

Soonyoung laughs then, and Jihoon finally lifts his head, glaring at him because he really shouldn't be laughing at his pain. "And that's bad because?"

"Fuck, I don't know." Jihoon runs an exhausted hand over his face, "It's just, up until this point I was never even into the idea of having a soulmate, and now I've talked to them and they're kind of everything I want in a person and more so I just, I don't know how to deal with all this. Up until like a month ago I was happy with knowing that I might actually not even get to meet my soulmate ever."

"Calm down, Jihoon, it's not as bad as you're making it out to be, really. So you're in love, that's great, and you're in love with your soulmate, even better, you're not soulmates for nothing yeah? Just, keep talking to them, see where it takes you. If you really want to see them, make it happen, if you don't, just go with the flow." Soonyoung starts stroking his back slightly, and Jihoon relaxes slightly into the touch.

"How do you always know what to say?" Jihoon mumbles, making himself more comfortable against his pillows. 

Soonyoung lets Jihoon fall asleep there that night, and Jihoon starts to think, as he drifts off to sleep, that maybe he might give the whole soulmate thing a try.

 _ **(**_ ~ _**)**_

Jihoon talks to Seungcheol a lot more often after that, good mornings and good nights scribbled on his hand constantly. He finds it slightly odd that he can get familiar with Seungcheol's handwriting before he gets familiar with Seungcheol's face. 

Seungkwan decides, much to Jihoon's chagrin, that they all go out and get drinks again to celebrate Minghao finding his soulmate. Jihoon wants to refuse, he really does, but then Minghao pouts and Jihoon can feel his protest melting in his throat. He blames Seungcheol for making him soft.

This time no one is quite so surprised when Jihoon ends up drunk. Jun thinks Jihoon is funny, the way that he slurs his speech and talks to each of them as if they were his own child, "Is he always like this?" he asks, and Soonyoung honestly doesn't know how to answer.

"We better get Jihoon away from a pen before he writing something stupid ag-"

"Too late." Jun resists the urge to laugh as he points at Jihoon in the corner, doodling hearts onto the back of his hand and humming the tune to an old love song under his breath.

"Mingyu, it's your turn to carry him home." 

"Oh joy."

Needless to say, Jihoon wakes up the next morning with a pounding headache and words he doesn't remember writing on the back of his hand, this time though, it's a lot worse.

_"Hey Seungcheol, Seungcheolie, CheolCheol, Seungy, guess what?"_

_"Those are some nice nicknames. What is it, Jihoon?"_

_"I think I might be a lot in love with you."_

Jihoon feels like throwing up, he didn't even stop there, he had gone so far as to draw heart shapes around his fingers and everything. Seungcheol must've seen it, Seungcheol might not even love him back, God was he going to kill the boys for getting him drunk again. 

_**seventeen** _

_**jihoon:**_ i'm going to fucking kill you guys

_dk is typing..._

_**jihoon:**_ seokmin i'm going to kill you if you fucking say language one more time

 _ **hosh:**_ someone's feisty this morning aren't they?

 _ **jihoon:** _ i told him i l o v e d him

 _ **jihoon:** _ why the fuck would you let me do that

 _ **gyugyu:**_ it's not our fault you're a lovesick puppy

 _ **jihoon:**_ fuck you gyu

 _ **jihoon:**_ you know perfectly well i have no control when i'm drunk

 _ **jihoon:**_ did any of you even try to stop me

 _ **dk:**_ i don't see what the big deal is tho, i mean he probably loves u too

 _ **jihoon:**_ probably??? i don't need a probably

 _ **jihoon:**_ fuck he didn't even reply

 _ **jihoon:** _ i probably scared him off

 _ **kwannie:**_  maybe he's just waiting for the right moment or smth

 _ **kwannie:**_ at least it'll be a fun story to tell the kids

 _ **jihoon:** _ i hate you

 _ **minghao:**_ calm down jihoonie

 _ **minghao:**_ i never would've thought i'd meet jun so quick but it's all working out really well

 _ **minghao:**_ trust me it wont be as bad as you think okay??

 _ **jihoon:**_  ok, i hate you less

 _ **kwannie:**_ hey not fair :-((

 _ **jihoon:**_ when have you ever given me actual good advice, kwan??

 _ **kwannie:**_ ok never, but still, rude

 _ **kwannie:**_ my heart is broken

 _ **jihoon:**_ deal with it

 _ **gyugyu:** _ at least he doesn't have to deal w confessing to his soulmate while drunk off his ass

_jihoon has left the chat_

_**gyugyu:** _ oops, too far??

 _ **dk:**_ u disappoint me, mingyu

 _ **gyugyu:**_ shut up donkey kong

 _ **dk:** _ D:

Jihoon doesn't show up to his first class that morning, instead choosing to mope around in his bed until he can feel the hangover subside. Seungkwan sends him nonstop texts the whole morning, so Jihoon shows up to the cafeteria at lunch, still as tired and still very much hungover but considerably less irritable. He doesn't really feel like talking much so he just beelines straight for the food. There's one chocolate muffin left and he smiles to himself, glad that at least he can still have this one small good thing, despite the fact that his life was over because he confessed to soulmate entirely too early. 

Things don't quite go his way though, because someone else reaches for the muffin before he can get to it and Jihoon curses under his breath. He turns to look at who just single handedly managed to ruin his day even further when his breath catches in his throat. Not that he knew how he recognised him so easily when he had never seen him before, but he was a hundred percent sure that he was now staring at Seungcheol, Seungcheol his soulmate, Seungcheol who Jihoon had confessed to, and Seungcheol who had his muffin.

"Seungcheol?" Jihoon asks, slightly breathless.

Seungcheol grins, Jihoon's heart skips a beat. "Jihoon."

Jihoon feels oddly like running, hadn't he just accidentally confessed to him last night? And now he was here, in the flesh, and a lot more attractive than Jihoon would've expected. "Uh," Jihoon can feel his heart stopping and starting out of time, it's suffocating, "gotta go, class, friends, uh yeah, okay." That's probably not the way Seungcheol would've envisioned meeting Jihoon being like, but Jihoon was a coward, so Jihoon liked to run.

Seungcheol has fast reflexes though, so he grabs ahold of Jihoon's wrist and Jihoon curses again because as soon as their skin came in contact with each other Jihoon felt, for a lack of a better word, _complete_. His whole world feels a little bit like it's spinning so he barely notices when Seungcheol grabs his shoulders to look him in the face. " _Jihoon._ "

He finds it hard not to swoon when Seungcheol is saying his name in a firm tone with that same firm gaze. "What?" He mumbles, not able to tear his eyes from Seungcheol's.

Then Seungcheol raises his left hand, and Jihoon is still half reeling from the sight of his soulmate so he's utterly confused. But then he sees his own handwriting on the back of Seungcheol's hand, _"I think I might be a lot in love with you."_ Jihoon gulps. Jihoon's about to say something, maybe deny everything and blame Seungkwan for getting him drunk, but then Seungcheol brings a pen and adds a small _"too"_ underneath Jihoon's sloppy confession and _oh_ , Jihoon can feel his world spinning again.

"Really?" Jihoon asks, still breathless, still reeling. His heart feels like it's about to burst.

Seungcheol smiles, before drawing Jihoon's smaller frame into his and whispering a quiet, "Really." right before their lips touch and, as Seungkwan had so eloquently put it, "sparks flew or some shit". His whole world is momentarily filled with the presence of Seungcheol that he forgets they're literally still standing in the middle of the cafeteria, at least until he can hear his dumb friends whistling and cheering behind him.

"That was _not_ how I expected this to go." Jihoon laughs softly, arms wound tightly around Seungcheol's waist.

Seungcheol chuckles, "Went better, don't you think?"


End file.
